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Add FightsATW on GoogleWhat is at stake when Osleys Iglesias (15-0, 14 KOs) aims to make his first IBF super middleweight title defense against Oliver Zaren (19-0-1, 8 KOs) on Thursday in Canada?
The bout, televised on DAZN, will feature boxing’s biggest boogeyman, Iglesias, in a marquee spot.
Let’s look at the narratives.
Osleys Iglesias Hasn’t Been Called Out
In a division that includes Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, you are not hearing anyone murmur Iglesias’ name, and for good reason. He debuted on an Eye of the Tiger card in March 2024, stopping Marcelo Coceres in one round. Coceres is best known for dropping Edgar Berlanga. He followed that up by repeating the performance, stopping Evgeny Shvedenko in one round. Shvedenko had only lost to William Scull in an IBF title eliminator. The good wins continued; he stopped Sena Agbeko in two rounds and Petro Ivanov in five. These are all world-class guys.
Then he stopped Vladimir Shishkin in eight rounds. Shishkin had only lost to Scull by a controversial decision before. He needed only eight rounds to stop Pavel Silyagin for the vacant title, which Canelo had given up.
Yes, you could say Iglesias has fought many similar fighters, but one thing is clear: he can box and punch. That is a deadly combination. In terms of an exciting title contender who expects to compete at the highest level of the sport, Iglesias checks those boxes. What confirms it is that no one seems eager to test him and find out just how good he is.
Oliver Zaren Is In For A Rough Night
With all due respect to Zaren, anything is possible; this is a horrible matchup for him. Zaren loves to come forward. Though durable, he struggles going backward, and it seems he got the opportunity as much for saying yes to fight Iglesias as well as being the top choice. Zaren has no glaring advantage and seems to have to land a good punch or hope that Iglesias gets injured to see a path to victory.
Eye Test And Odds
Iglesias is expected not only to win but also to stop Zaren, and the odds reflect Iglesias as a heavy favorite.
How Good Is Wilkens Mathieu?
Mathieu has never jumped off the page for me, yet the 21-year-old super middleweight has many believers, including his promoter. He is taking a big step up in competition against Vladimir Shishkin. Shishkin was stopped by Iglesias last year in an interim title fight, but it is still a class of opponent Mathieu hasn’t faced. Even on the back nine of his career, Shishkin is tricky, so this matchup is truly interesting to me, as it will tell a lot about Mathieu, who some see as a top-five prospect.
Don’t Sleep on Dzmitry Asanau vs. Luis Santana
A battle between lightweights who have come up under Eye of the Tiger should be a good one. Asanau passes the eye test for a future champion; Santana has looked vulnerable at times, but this is a fight of merit. Asanau is expected to win, but Santana is an explosive puncher who could make this interesting.
Imam Khataev
Khataev, in my opinion, was the best of the 2020 Olympians. His pro career has been fun, with some great moments, but also times when he looks too vulnerable and hitable. On Thursday, that probably won’t be the case as he faces Padraig McCrory, a limited fighter; he should stop in a few rounds.
Leila Beaudoin
Beaudoin is becoming one of the best women’s junior lightweights, and her loss to Alycia Baumgardner is aging well. She is fighting for the third time since that loss to Baumgardner and holds a recent stoppage win over title contender Elhem Mekhaled. With Baumgardner gone, she now fits the bill as one of the best in the division, alongside Kiria Tapia, as a fighter to watch.
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